Tag: the game master’s handbook of collaborative campaign design

Whatcha Reading, Geekly? June 2026

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here, and today, our writers share what they’ve been reading over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been reading over the past month because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started with what I’ve been reading this past month.

Kyra’s Fiction

Yes! In preparation for the upcoming Supergirl movie (releasing later this month), I read Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and I’m glad I did. I like the addition of Ruthye. Ruthye serves as a Nick Carraway-style narrator (The Great Gatsby). The story may be Supergirl’s, but it’s told in Ruthye’s voice. While Ruthye has a tendency to monologue, I love it when Supergirl’s actions contradict Ruthye’s narration. For example, “Many view Supergirl as soft,” and Supergirl swears while beating someone to a pulp, to which Ruthye will add, “In my experience, that was not the case.” Instant chuckles.

Tom King wrote Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. I figured I would enjoy the title, because I enjoyed Tom King’s (sometimes maligned) run on Batman. Honestly, I don’t know why some readers didn’t care for King’s Batman run. I blame it on King killing off Alfred Pennyworth during the City of Bane (2019), and Batman’s faithful butler has yet to return. The fact that Alfred has remained dead shocks me. Good on DC Comics. I mention King’s work on Batman to suggest that he takes risks, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow takes risks. Future authors codified Supergirl Kryptonian with PTSD in future Supergirl stories, but King took the first leap.

And this is a heck of a first leap. I can’t wait to see what Season thinks of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. After I was done reading the story, I shared it with her, and she finished it in one sitting. Yay! And after Season was finished, she handed the book to Skye. We may have a three-way crossover this month. Woo hoo!

As you can see, I went on a DC Comics kick this month. Comic book writer Greg Rucka is another favorite. I liked his runs on Wonder Woman, so I was excited to try out Batwoman: Elegy. We begin in medias res (in the middle), and I appreciate Batwoman: Elegy refusing to hold the reader’s hand. But I was confused. Some context could’ve helped, but the story flows. Super fast. I blew through Batwoman: Elegy, and I don’t recall Rucka’s Wonder Woman reading that quickly. In short, Rucka made the right choice. Batwoman moved through this story so quickly, as if she were trying to run away from something. Turns out, it’s her past.

The context I complained about not having at the beginning reveals itself toward the middle of Batwoman: Elegy. This story’s speed gets the reader to those ah-ha moments faster. Only one thing bothered me in Batwoman: Elegy. The story overcommits to linking Batwoman to Batman. While I appreciate Batwoman: Elegy trying to link its character with the rest of Bat Family, at times it felt forced, and other times it was downright confusing. Evidently, Batman had a similar case to Batwoman’s, and Batwoman: Elegy remixes the two events. Batwoman: Elegy is a great origin story for the character, but at times, it get turned around.

This is my final DC Comics entry, I swear. I didn’t know what to expect from Harley Quinn and the Gotham City Sirens. Paul Dini (writer of Batman: The Animated Series) is another excellent comic book writer, and Harley Quinn and the Gotham City Sirens serves as a source material (of sorts) for the Harley Quinn: Animated Series. The final product reads like a series of odd occurrences, some of which make their way into the Harley Quinn series. I expected a comical tone. Harley Quinn and the Gotham City Sirens took itself far more seriously than I imagined.

The stories were engaging. Short, but engaging. Dini tends to write short-form comic book stories. If you’re expecting a longer narrative like Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow or Batwoman: Elegy, you won’t find it with Harley Quinn and the Gotham City Sirens. This is the third graphic novel I read this month, and frankly, I needed a change of pace. Harley Quinn and the Gotham City Sirens fills that role. Don’t enter reading this story thinking it’ll be as comical as the Harley Quinn: Animated Series.

Kyra’s Nonfiction

I mentioned last month (I think) that I had read the Proactive Roleplaying Guide from the Game Master’s Handbook line, and I was going to start reading The Game Master’s Handbook of Collaborative Campaign Design. Phew! That is a long title. But the title’s length makes it easy to search online for the book. I love this series. I knew I’d love this book. And didn’t disappoint. Jonah and Tristan Fishel hand game masters the keys to incorporating the methods in this book into any tabletop role-playing game, even ones that are underway.

The biggest hurdle will be letting go of some authority as the game master. When the Fishels say collaborative campaign design, they mean it. The game master and the players craft the world and campaign they wish to play. Funnily enough, this leads to more buy-in by the players. Players take ownership of the game and its world. And it alleviates pressure on the game master to always come up with something. Will The Game Master’s Handbook of Collaborative Campaign Design work for every situation? No. It wouldn’t work for the two-hour session I have planned for the upcoming Comic-Con: Nebraska (stop by and say hi), but I can’t wait to try out this method with a longer campaign.

That’s all I have for what I’ve been reading. Let’s check in with Season and Skye.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Cover

Skye’s Fiction

With the upcoming release of the Supergirl DCU film, the rest of the Geekly crew has convinced me to take a closer look at the movie’s inspiration, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. I am in the process of reading Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, but what I’ve gleaned is this is a complex tale about the emotional struggles of the title heroine following the destruction of her home planet. Kara is despondent that her people have been wiped out. As a result, she’s developed a habit of taking trips to planets with red suns to repress her powers and drown her sorrows in booze. It’s genuinely depressing to see a beloved superhero in such a state, but I look forward to seeing how the story conveys the need to rise above one’s circumstances.

Season’s Fiction

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Cover

Same! I also read Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in preparation for the upcoming movie. As previously mentioned, I read it in one sitting. Can you tell I enjoyed it? I appreciate the story not being told from Supergirl’s perspective. I mean, she began the story wasted, so her being the narrator would have been less reliable. There is a point in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow when Ruthye makes conjectures about what happened when Supergirl left her on a safe planet. I’m curious whether they’ll include this in the upcoming movie.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow had good pacing and evened out the heaviness of the story with goofy moments. The ending is truly something to behold and is well-earned.

The Spellshop is a popular 2024 romantasy title. It’s also my first time reading a romantasy. Kiela ran away from the city of Alyssium to the remote island of Caltrey with illegally acquired spell books due to a revolution in Alyssium. I thought most romantasies had a lot of hot and heavy moments, but The Spellshop proved me wrong. Kiela focuses on survival in her new/old home (her parents’ house before they moved to the city), and all of her neighbors want to help her. Kiela isn’t a social person, so the help is unwelcome at first. She warms up to the villagers (and a local guy) and manages to thrive on Caltrey. There are a couple of scenes with kissing in them, but acts of service are the primary love language in The Spellshop.

Did I mention Kiela’s best friend, Caz, is a talking spider plant? Honestly? Caz is the main reason I picked up the book. Tee hee!

Back in April, I mentioned The Husky and His White Cat Shizun. I’m still reading that (I’m on Volume 5), but I’ve also started reading Heaven Official’s Blessing. I watched the anime for Heaven Official’s Blessing, and the ending was abrupt. Apparently, they’re releasing a new season this year. Anyway, the light novels have a faster pace than the anime, though they’re redundant in places. Seriously, if Mo Xiang Tong Xiu cut out half of the redundant sentences, I guarantee the first volume could have been shorter by at least thirty pages. I still enjoy the story, and the characters are cute. I’m excited to see what lies beyond the anime.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are all the books our writers have been reading this past month. What’ve you been reading? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Whatcha Reading Geekly April 2026

Whatcha Reading, Geekly? April 2026

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Today, our writers share what they’ve been reading over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been reading. We’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started with sharing what I’ve been reading over the past month.

Kyra’s Nonfiction

Shocker! I play roleplaying games, and I tend to serve as a game master. Recently, I’ve been leveling up my game mastering. No. Not exactly leveling up my game mastering. The two books I read this month, both written by Jonah and Tristan Fishel, allow game masters to offload some of their responsibilities and cause players to become active participants in tabletop roleplaying games. I love the ideas presented in both of these books. The Game Master’s Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying flips the usual tabletop roleplaying game (like Dungeons & Dragons) script. Instead of player characters reacting to plotlines the game master presents, player characters co-write what happens during play.

Typically, players wait for non-player characters (usually the big bad villain) to do something, and their heroes react. With The Game Master’s Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying, the players set out for specific goals (for their characters), and the game master then builds scenarios from the players’ goals. This offloads some of the game master’s duties. You don’t need to come up with world-shaking events alone. The players are sharing that responsibility. This grounds player characters in the world the game master has built. And it keeps players engaged.

Proactive Roleplaying may not work for every group, but for $15, it’s worth a shot. Here’s a link to its Barnes & Noble page if you want to give The Game Master’s Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying a try.

But Jonah and Tristan Fishel weren’t done. They’ve recently added a companion book to this series, The Game Master’s Handbook of Collaborative Campaign Design. I haven’t had a chance to finish this volume yet, but from what I’ve seen, it expands on The Game Master’s Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying by extending many of the concepts into campaign-length games. I’m sure I’ll find plenty of twists and turns with The Game Master’s Handbook of Collaborative Campaign Design. The Fishels have done a great job of shaking up the roleplaying status quo. If interested in ordering the second book, here’s a link to purchase The Game Master’s Handbook of Collaborative Campaign Design.

And I’m still reading through The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures. This book is loaded with fantasy/magical creatures from various points of origin. I’ve enjoyed my time with it. But I don’t know if the writers or publisher expected someone to read it from front cover to back cover. I will finish The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures.

Shakes fist at the sky.

Kyra’s Fiction

I just started reading The House in the Cerulean Sea, like a day ago, reading almost half of the novel in one sitting. That’s saying a lot for me. While I read a lot, I don’t read particularly fast. I agree with the dust cover. The House in the Cerulean Sea does feel like a warm queer hug. If you’re looking for a replacement for the Harry Potter franchise, The House in the Cerulean Sea is a great choice. Too bad it’s a standalone novel. I haven’t yet finished the novel–I just started reading it–but I can already tell I’ll want more time with Linus, Arthur, and the six kids on Marysas Island. TJ Klune’s writing oozes charm. He makes it look effortless to create likeable characters readers will care about deeply. With the world charging headlong into countless conflicts, it’s nice to read a book that offers hope. Sometimes, you just need a hug.

That’s all I have for this month. Let’s check in with Season.

Season’s Fiction

Hey, Geekly Gang! I know what you’re thinking. I’m totally doing a Whatcha Reading this time around. I have a huge reading list I need to get through and I just hit up Barnes & Noble for more books to add to the list. This month’s title is the first volume of The Husky & His White Cat Shizun by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou. Trigger warning: There are mentions of suicide and sexual encounters. Reader discretion is advised.

The Husky & His White Cat Shizun is a light novel series. If you’re unfamiliar with light novels, they’re chapter books with manga pictures scattered throughout. They tend to be YA novels, but genres can vary. The Husky & His White Cat Shizun is an xianxia novel, which is a genre of Chinese fantasy that incorporates a lot of Chinese mythology. It also falls under BL (Boys’ Love).

The Husky & His White Cat Shizun follows Mo Ran (previously known as Taxian-jun) after he takes his own life by poisoning himself. Taxian-jun was a tyrant who took countless lives and committed atrocities that are briefly mentioned in the beginning of the story, but get revealed bit by bit as the story progresses. Mo Ran wakes up in the bed of Rong Jiu (a male sex worker), during a time before he became a tyrant. He gets angry with Rong Jiu, steals his valuables, and cuts his face. Mo Ran mentions he wants to redeem himself and live a less destructive life. So, you know, he’s off to an amazing start.

Mo Ran runs into his “shizun” (mentor) Chu Wanning, who strikes fear and hatred into Mo Ran. Chu Wanning is the only person who doesn’t coddle Mo Ran, and Mo Ran killed Chu Wanning in his previous life. Mo Ran is determined to kill Chu Wanning again. So far, all he’s managed to do is irritate the snot out of his mentor. I haven’t gotten too far into The Husky & His White Cat Shizun, but I’m enjoying the Chinese mythology aspect of it. The footnotes are hilarious since there are many Mandarin words that have double entendres. If you’re interested in Chinese mythology but don’t know where to start, The Husky & His White Cat Shizun is a digestible jumping-off point.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. What have you been reading, Geekly Gang? Let us know in the comments.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle again. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.